26 February 2025

“Success at Westminster, dismay at Holyrood. But on eNICs exemption, we are back in the running”

Rachel Cackett responds to yesterday’s vote in the House of Lords on amendments to the National Insurance Bill – and the passing of the 2025-26 Scottish Budget

So, first the good news. Last night the House of Lords voted through amendments to exempt the vast majority of the health and social care sector from catastrophic NI increases, as set out in the National Insurance Contributions (Secondary Class 1 Contributions) Bill. The Lords also passed a key amendment which would make the government report on the impact of national insurance changes.

Over the past few weeks, we’ve been discussing the National Insurance Bill with MPs and engaging with peers on amendments. Many of our members have shared their own organisation’s perspectives about how the eNICs change would impact them, and the consequences for the people they support and employ. I want to thank all the members of the House of Lords who worked on and laid amendments yesterday, and every single peer who listened and voted for exemption to save social care. We can’t tell you how much your advocacy matters for social care in its time of crisis.

Yesterday’s votes give us hope, but the changes aren’t in the bag yet. Now they go back and forth between the Lords and Commons and we will need a lot of Labour MPs to stand up for what is right here, if these wins are to hold. But yesterday morning we saw no room to manoeuvre; today we are back in the running. We’ll take that for now.

In contrast to events in the Lords, yesterday the Scottish Budget was passed at Holyrood with zero commitment to eNICs cost recovery for providers from the Scottish Ministers and only cursory mentions of the sustainability crisis in our sector. This, despite us sharing compelling evidence of the disastrous consequences the policy will have for not-for-profit providers and the people they support.

Earlier this month we conducted a 24-hour survey of our member organisations. Over 50 members participated, representing a combined expenditure of over £850m, employing around 28,000 staff and supporting over 230,000 people across the whole of Scotland. Amongst the sobering responses, we learned that:

  • 57% of respondents are seriously considering handing contracts back to commissioners next year
  • 67% of respondents are budgeting for 2025-26 on the basis that they only expect to reach financial balance through the use of reserves. And of these providers: 91% would no longer be a going concern within four years, if they continued to reach financial balance through drawing down reserves in this way.

With an election year just over a year away, and with so much at stake for the Scottish people, we are surprised the Scottish Government seems ready to live with the consequences of choosing not to fund our sector and supported people. We are just as surprised that a new UK Labour Government chose to put the entire sector at risk through this deeply ill-judged tax, which disproportionately impacts low- paid women. Looking at headlines from the last couple of weeks from both sides of the border, it seems emergency funds can be found for other things – but not vulnerable people. It was ever thus.

But where both elected governments have failed the sector so far, the Lords have provided. So, our energy now turns back to Westminster and efforts to persuade MPs to see the value of social care – and how destructive the eNICs policy would be. There is – thanks to yesterday’s actions – still track ahead.  Please, UK Labour and Rachel Reeves, don’t waste this opportunity.

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20 June 2024

“A collective voice of people and organisations who all share a common vision”

As CCPS marks its 25th anniversary, Andrea Wood, Chief Executive of Key and Convener of our Board, reflects on the organisation’s contribution since 1999

This summer CCPS celebrates its 25th anniversary as a registered charity, and 27 years since it was founded.

To mark the milestone and share CCPS’s new Priorities, the organisation recently held a special event in the Scottish Parliament. Staff and members were joined by MSPs including Clare Haughey, Convener of the parliament’s Health, Social Care and Sport Committee, Neil Gray,  Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care and Maree Todd, Minister for Social Care, Mental Wellbeing and Sport.

It was a chance to acknowledge three decades of CCPS’ contribution, ranging from its origins as an early, urgent voice for community care providers, with 23 members, to its profile now, representing 89 not-for-profit social care providers across Scotland. A rich diversity of organisations who do vital work, supporting
good lives for Scotland’s people and communities in a way that respects and
values individual choice and control.

Below, members gather at our parliamentary reception at Holyrood on 28 May. Above, CCPS Convener, Chief Executive of Key and blog author Andrea Wood.

 

Guests at the reception reflected on what it means to be part of a collective voice of people and organisations who all share a common vision of a rights and relationship-based approach to social care and support. It’s a vision that, in essence, has not changed over CCPS’s quarter century as a charity, and has at its heart our members’ commitment to ensuring that not-for-profit providers and their staff are recognised and valued as they should be. That’s meant championing the right for people to do a job that they love, but also to be respected, valued and rewarded for the vital work that they do.

Guests filled out cards at the event telling us why they valued social care and support:

After 25 years, CCPS continues to be a respected, influential and authentic organisation, with a reputation based on its values: Creative, Collaborative, Credible, Courageous and Kind. It couldn’t have sustained that reputation without such a talented staff team, now led by Rachel Cackett, and previously by Annie Gunner Logan, who was CEO until 2022.

Through its work CCPS has played a role in the implementation of some of the most ground-breaking developments in social care throughout the years. Changing Lives, Self-Directed Support, the Promise and the Review of Adult Social Care are just a few examples.

All of those achievements have been shaped by the views, experiences and wisdom of CCPS’s members. They wouldn’t have been possible otherwise, and I know that at this important point in its history, its right  that  we celebrate the strength of CCPS’s relationship and dialogue with its membership.

Thinking about the future and how CCPS will play its part, that collective voice of CCPS’s members will continue to be vital in communicating to everyone across Scotland the true value of social care and support.

Members of  the CCPS staff team pictured at the event. From left, Chris Small, Anna Tully, Alison Christie, Rachel Cackett, Nadine Cassidy, Eilidh Shearer, Emma Mathews, Kyle Hylan-Corcoran, Megan Williams and Simon Webster:

Photographs by Andrzej Majdanik. www.haicoo.co.uk LinkedIn: @haicoo_media

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8 February 2024

‘It’s time to Rethink to 13’: MSP briefing published for stage 1 debate on Budget

We’ve produced a briefing for MSPs on Fair Work for Scotland’s social care staff, with an explanation of why the Scottish Government must now reconsider pay for social care staff

We’ve produced a briefing for MSPs on Fair Work for Scotland’s social care staff, with an explanation of why the Scottish Government must now Rethink To 13.

Download and read the briefing

The briefing was sent to a targeted list of MSPs ahead of today’s Stage 1 Debate on the 2024-25 Budget at Holyrood.

It features suggested questions to ask in the chamber on Thursday, key facts and stats on social care pay, and evidence from our current #RethinkTo13 campaign.

The Stage 1 debate on the budget is being held in a period of crisis for the social care sector, with provider organisations increasingly unable to recruit and retain staff due to lack of Fair Work.

As we reported last year, an average of 52% of staff who moved jobs in 2022 left the social care sector altogether (2022 Social Care Benchmarking Report).

Through the Rethink To 13 campaign we’re sharing stories from support workers in the sector about what a pay increase to a minimum of £13 per hour would mean to them and its positive impact on services and people receiving support.

A final debate on the 2024-25 Budget is due to be held at the end of February before it is passed by parliament.

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